


In your suits

by Moonwanderer



Series: IronStrange Week 2018 [3]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Friendship/Love, Hurt Tony, Hurt and Injury, IronStrange, IronStrange Week May 2018, M/M, Mild Language, Nothing explicit, Protective Stephen, Protective cloak, Technology, We don't hate Steve Rogers, Wong is a good bro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-07
Updated: 2018-09-07
Packaged: 2019-07-08 07:35:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15925826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonwanderer/pseuds/Moonwanderer
Summary: Tony is injured and Stephen has to overcome his fear of technology in order to save his beloved.





	In your suits

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the "IronStrange Week 2018" event.  
> Day 3: "Cloak/Tony's AI and Bots"
> 
> Though I ship ironstrange, I have no hate toward Steve.  
> The title is supposed to be a pun :)
> 
> I am not a native speaker, so mistakes may be found.  
> I do not own the characters, etc., etc.,...

"Oh fuck my life! Tony! Tony!!! Please... Anthony, _please_ , wake up!"

It didn’t matter how desperate Stephen pleaded, Tony remained unmoving, his pale form lying amongst the ruins. The sorcerer was on the verge of panic, exhausted and powerless from the fight. A blast hit him earlier, and he could no longer use his magic, temporarily, but fuck, he needed it now, and Tony was lying unconscious, from an attempt to save his life...

An explosion hit somewhere near, and he threw himself over his lover’s body to shield him from further harm. The Cloak was above them in the blink of an eye, taking the hits instead.

And then, in the middle of chaos, a strange idea came to the sorcerer’s mind. If he couldn’t rely on _magic_ , he should use _technology_ instead.

Shaking hands started searching for a small metal band, like a bracelet, and when he found the item, quickly attached it around his wrist.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then the comm in his ear came alive, and a nice, collected voice of a woman started talking to him in a surprisingly calming Irish accent.

"Welcome, Dr. Strange! I am Friday, a natural-language user interface, designed by Mr. Stark. May I warn you that your heart rate is slightly elevated and your breathing is faster than normal? These symptoms may indicate an upcoming panic attack."

"Uhm...yes, I am very well aware of the fact that I’m anxious. Miss...Friday, could you activate the suit for me? Tony is... he is not in a state to use it now, and I can’t think of another way out of this situation." It was very strange to talk to someone who doesn’t even have a body, but he got more important problems to solve.

For example the rapidly growing metal parts that started to cover his body like a second skin, until he was trapped in a tight, uncomfortable metal coffin... All of a sudden the air was too heavy to breathe, and he cried out, voice trembling with panic.

"Faceplate... remove the faceplate!"

The Irish-sounding bodiless woman seemed to hear his plea, and the metal covering his face flipped up. Stephen doubled over, chest heaving beneath the suit, as beads of sweat started to form on his forehead.

It was _way_ harder than he first guessed...

"Your vitals are out of the normal range, Doctor." The woman said. "It would be dangerous to operate the suit at your state..."

"I know but I have to!" He snapped, the way he was unable to grab at his chest because of the metal coating his hands and torso making him irritated. "Contact the others, get them here as soon as possible! I don’t think I could hold the attack back for a long time."

"Hey, Levi!" He called out for the Cloak hovering above his fallen love. "Protect him at all costs!"

The red relic nodded, and gently wrapped itself around the unmoving body. Stephen took a deep breath, and stood up. He felt heavy and clumsy, and a healthy amount of terrified, but gritted his teeth in determination.

"Okay...uhm...Miss Friday? I require your assistance! How can I fly this thing?"

"If I am correct and this is your first flight in the suit, I should regulate the rockets and the power for you, but it would be your part to navigate." The AI said.

"All right, let’s get started! Just like Tony would, shall we?"

"One more thing, Doctor. I suggest you not to keep your face unprotected."

Stephen tried to swallow down his anxiety. "Very well, bring it on!"

The faceplate slid down to its place, trapping him completely in metal, and the suit came alive. Hundreds of tiny screens and charts appeared in front of him, and he almost immediately lost his balance. He fell forward and was this close to be dropped on his head, but then he jerked back into a standing position again.

"Try and keep your balance, Doctor! I can’t be there every time you fall." The voice suggested. Stephen let out a desperate snort.

"Yeah, like it’s so easy... Take away these screens, I can’t figure them out anyway, and use more power on stabilization instead!"

How in the living hell can Tony make it look like it’s just a piece of cake? No wonder he has such a good posture!

"Okay, go up a bit, but not too high, and get moving ahead!" He ordered, and felt himself rising up. It was insane! Soon he came to the field of the enemy’s vision and he bolted forward with a surprised yelp, luring them away from Tony.

 

Meanwhile the Cloak remained wrapped around the unconscious man. Its fabric surrounded the body from head to toe, completely sealing him away from the outer world. Still, Tony could breath, for it was not the relic’s goal to suffocate him. It cradled the fallen genius, gently rocking him as if it was trying to lull him to sleep. It felt a slight worry for its master, but knew that the shining red and golden armour it admired so much was protecting the sorcerer. It tightened its grip just a bit, caressing the man’s face. Everything will be alright, its master will make sure of that.

 

Stephen was busy maneuvering amidst the lightning-like attacks. At least the „lure the enemy away” part worked- he thought sombrely, almost managing not to get hit by a powerful blast. He got tired of running, he wanted to attack.

"Miss Friday, how can I operate the... glove-rockets?"

"The repulsors can be used manually with this method." The AI showed him the proper way. "Now you can control your attacks without me."

"Neat" Stephen said and aimed his right gauntlet at an approaching enemy. "Fire!"

The effect was more effective than he imagined. Blue blast burst out of his hand, hitting the target away, and knocking him back a lot.

"This is insane!" The sorcerer gasped, trying to regain balance. His body got a hit from the suit in the moments of inertia, spreading an ache all over his back. His respect for his lover grew stronger with every second spent in this metal cage from hell. He was already feeling too hot entrapped there, trying to ignore the suffocating tinge of claustrophobia.

"Not so bad from a beginner, huh?" He said, trying to convert his anxiousness into jokes. "It worked once, it should work more times too."

Having said he bolted forward, preparing for another attack.

 

The Cloak stilled, sensing some hostile presence approaching them. It tightened its grip around its precious cargo, preparing for an attack. The other tried to pry it off the body, but the Cloak straightened its fabric where the enemy tried to grab it, making it impossible to harm the man underneath. Then it felt the stab.

The Cloak of Levitation was an ancient relic, possessing magic older than times, so it could prevent its fabric from tearing apart. It hurt though, but heavens be damned if it would let someone cause Tony pain. The other tried to stab through, and slash it several times, force steadily rising with every attempt. Getting no results, he tried another tactic.

For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then the spell enclosed them, and the Cloak felt the flames. It was not an ordinary fire, but a darker, meaner one, conjured up to destroy, and Levi had to gather all of its might to withstand. It _hurt_ , it hurt so much, being burned alive in the darkest magic, trying not to break and fall. The Cloak trembled and twitched, but held on, desperately calling for its master to help.

 

Stephen was being knocked back and tossed around by the attacks and his own blasts so many times he lost count. He felt dizzy and sick and sore all over, heaving for more air he could get. Somewhere in the back of his mind he heard the calling, but he couldn’t break out, there were so many, too many of them...

"Though the system was blocked, I was able to send our coordinates to the team. They should be here any moment now. Hold on, Doctor!" For the first time, the voice sounded worried.

"I can’t breath...!" Stephen gasped, barely evading another blast. He tried so hard not to fail, concentrating on his love- wounded, defensless- to gain strength, but his body was slowly betraying his mind. He managed to sway out of the way of the falling debris but had no time to avoid the blast. He was knocked back and down, unable to act, plummeting hard into the ground.

 

Steve saw the suit getting hit and falling down, and his heart skipped a beat in terror.

"Tony!!!" He cried out, desperately trying to get to his friend’s side. Somewhere in his mind he registered the others helping the Cloak who was protecting its master, and he felt Thor’s powerful presence beside him, aiding him in the fight.

He knew something was wrong with Tony, the way he was swaying in the air before he got hit raised his worries high, and when he finally reached the unmoving form on the ground, he had to refrain himself from trying to pry him out of the suit with his bare hands.

"Friday, faceplate!" He ordered, as he sank to his knees, trembling hard. When the metal flipped up, his eyes widened in surprise.

Stephen was lying on the ground, paler than ever, blood flowing from his nose and from a nasty cut on his forehead. Steve heard Thor gasp behind him, but couldn’t act, his thoughts blury with confusion. The urging voice of the AI snapped him out of the stupor.

"Doctor Strange is in a critical condition, needing immediate medical attendance. Captain Rogers, please, call for the medical unit!"

"Done!" Thor replied. Both of them started as a sparkling golden circle appeared behind them, and a familiar figure emerged from it. Wong hurried past them and kneeled down beside his friend, putting his hands on his metal-coated chest.

"Don’t you _dare_!" The sorcerer hissed, almost angrily, and draw a rune in the air, above the unmoving body of his friend. "Don’t you dare die on me, Stephen!"

The suit opened up in the result of his ministrations, revealing the bloody and battered body of the doctor.

Thor plopped down behind the Captain, and wrapped his arms around his friend, resting his chin on his shoulders. They watched in silence as the sorcerer casted healing runes and spells in sparkling and shimmering gold. The air was tight with magic and dust from the fight and the faint rumble of the approaching vehicles. They waited for aid in silent vigil.

 

Stephen was resting, out of his body, in the spaceless, timeless dimension of astral forms. He noticed the other presence joining him, but for some time, they waited in silence.

"Do you mind and tell me what the hell are you waiting for?" Wong asked at last.

"It’s so calm here..."

"Oh come on, don’t start this „I don’t want to go back” bullshit! You were nowhere near that knocked out to behave like this." Wong grabbed his friend and shook him slightly, and didn’t let him turn his gaze away. "It would be the biggest shame in the history of the Mystic Arts if you died after this nonesense! So hurry back to your body or I personally will punch you back there!"

A faint smile appeared on the doctor’s lips.

"How can I resist such an offer?"

 

They were together in the hospital-scented room. Tony was sitting beside his bed, arm in a cast, his good hand holding the sorcerer’s trembling hand. Stephen’d just waken up, and smiled at his lover, still slightly dazed though.

"Good morning, beautiful!" Tony squeezed his hand gently. "Heard you wrecked my suit."

The other snorted.

"Don’t mention that metal coffin in front of me! When you fly that, it seems so easy..."

Tony chuckled.

"How did you learn to use magic? Practice, baby. Lots and lots of practice. I could design you one. We could practice together, and then..."

"For now, I would like to stay with the Cloak, thanks. It’s the best for me."

The red relic, which was lying across its masters legs, wiggled, weak but happy. Stephen gently stroked the heavy, soft fabric, and the Cloak patted his knees in return.

"I should thank Miss Friday for her assistance. Without her I couldn’t have stood a chance."

Tony caressed him with eyes warm and shining with love.

"She told me everything. You were amazing, honey! Amazing, I say. I am such a lucky man!"

The kiss was slow and sweet and full of gratitude words can’t express.

"Move a bit, baby, I wanna cuddle with you!"

Stephen shifted a little to the side, laughing, and Tony snuggled against him, wrapping his tired body in a warm, tight embrace. The Cloak moved upwards, covering them in a cuddling manner.

In the corner of the room Wong’s face lit up with a smile, and he turned around to abandon his post there, astral body sliding through the walls with grace.

**Author's Note:**

> Please, feel free to leave a comment!  
> Negative comments or comments of displeasure are also welcome, you can help me improve by pointing out my mistakes.


End file.
